Pennsylvania senator to seek sixth term in 2010

WASHINGTON _ Forget the presidential election in 2008 _ Sen. Arlen Specter has his sights on 2010. The Pennsylvania Republican, dismissing the possibility he’ll retire at the end of his term, says he will seek a sixth term and already is raising cash for a re-election run. “There are a lot of important things to be done,” Specter said Monday. “Finally after being here to acquire some seniority, I’m in a position to do them.” Specter is scheduled to attend a 100-person fundraiser at a private home in Salisbury Township, Pa., on Friday and a larger event in Philadelphia on April 4. At 77, Specter is the third-oldest Pennsylvania senator ever. He would become the oldest senator ever elected from the state if he wins in 2010, starting another term just weeks before turning 81. Republican Sen. Edward Martin left office at 79 in 1959. Still, Specter probably would be far from the oldest in the Senate. Six senators are older, and at least three _ 83-year-old Ted Stevens of Alaska, 83-year-old Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and 80-year-old John Warner of Virginia _ already are building their re-election campaigns for 2008. Specter said age isn’t an issue. “I’m full of energy,” he said. “My wife doesn’t want me home for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Specter’s decision to begin raising cash a full three years before the state GOP primary comes on the heels of then-Sen. Rick Santorum’s November drubbing at the hands of Democrat Bob Casey Jr., even as Santorum raised a record $28 million and outspent his opponent by nearly $11 million. “It takes a lot of money nowadays,” said Lehigh Valley GOP activist Charles Snelling, who is organizing Friday’s event. Snelling suggested there’s added incentive to pad a candidate’s campaign coffers early in a race. “If one candidate has a substantial war chest, it may affect the decisions of others as to whether or not they want to run,” he said. If his last re-election is any judge, Specter’s strongest challenge in 2010 could come from his own party. The former federal prosecutor, dubbed “Snarlin’ Arlen” by friends and foes alike, has often been criticized by the GOP base because of his moderate social positions _ he supports abortion rights and federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. He was nearly defeated in the Republican primary in 2004 by former Lehigh Valley congressman Pat Toomey. In that campaign, in which he convincingly beat former Democratic Rep. Joe Hoeffel, Specter spent $22 million. Specter’s other Achilles’ heel in his bid for a sixth term may be his health. His bout with Hodgkin’s disease in 2005 forced him to undergo five months of chemotherapy and left him bald and rail-thin. But it didn’t keep him from chairing the Judiciary Committee during the session, which oversaw hearings on the Supreme Court nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito. His last round of chemotherapy was in the summer of 2005, and he says he’s received a clean bill of health. “My health is excellent,” said Specter, who still rises early to play squash. “I’ve had all the tests, and the doctor says I’m symptom-free.” Supporters agree. “He is in the pink of health,” Snelling said. “He looks great.” The Senate, which bade farewell in 2003 to its oldest serving senator _ 100-year-old South Carolina Republican Strom Thurmond _ now boasts an average age of 60, higher than it has ever been, according to Senate historian Richard A. Baker. “In the old days, senators came and went, and it was a younger person’s job,” Baker said. “The traveling really did them in. It was a rigorous job.” ___ (c) 2007, The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) Visit The Morning Call at http://www.mcall.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. ___ ARCHIVE PHOTOS on MCT Direct (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): Arlen Specter For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.